baltimoreblast.com

Baltimore – Baltimore Blast President and General Manager Kevin Healey announced today that the team has signed Midfielder, Drew Yates from Severna Park, Maryland. Yates is the final player to be signed for the Blast and now they have a complete Roster of 20.

Drew Yates attended Archbishop Curley High School and DeMatha High School where he played club soccer for the two-time national champion Casa Mia's Bays and later attended the U.S. Soccer Residency Program in Bradenton, Florida. In addition to being a three-time NSCAA All American, in 2006, he was named Washington Post Player of the Year and Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year.

After High school, Yates went on to play 4 years of Soccer at the University of Maryland. In 2008 he helped them to a NCAA Division 1 Title. Throughout his career at UMD Yates scored 14 goals and had 13 assists. In addition, Yates received several honors; ACC All-Academic, Second Team All-Atlantic South Region, and Second Team All-ACC.

In 2010 Yates was drafted in the second round (29th overall) of the MLS Super Draft by Chicago Fire but was not offered a contract. He was then signed by FC Tampa Bay in the USSF Division 2 Professional League. On April 24th, 2010, he made his professional debut in a game against the NSC Minnesota Stars. In 2011 Yates signed with the USL Pro Club, Harrisburg City Islanders and played for them until signing with the Charlotte Eagles prior to the start of the 2013 USL Pro Season.

“Drew has the ability and the technical skills to become a very good indoor player. Coming from outdoor, there's always an adjustment to the indoor game which takes a little time. He's very capable of being an impact player every time he's on the floor, but he just has to continue to take things in everyday, focus on the defensive side of things, and put himself in a position where he is challenging for a spot in the starting rotation.” Says Head Coach, Danny Kelly.

The Blast will have their Season Opener on the Road, Saturday November 16th, against the Rochester Lancers.

All Blast practices that are held at the North East Regional Recreation Center during regular season are open to the public, with no admission fee. Practice times and location are subject to change; please call the Blast office to confirm. Blast season tickets and five-game mini plans are on sale now through the Blast office. Single-game tickets are available at the Baltimore Arena Box Office and at all TicketMaster outlets including TicketMaster phone charge at 410-547-SEAT. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets cost $22, $19 and $16. For additional information on Blast tickets, call the Blast at 410-73-BLAST.